Hi All,
I'm after opinions for which way to go with an autopilot.
I have Raymarine gear throughout my boat so am limiting my choice to Raymarine but I'm between the cut off of
the official recommendations.

EV -100 sail with a wheel drive - $1600
or
EV - 200 with add on linear drive - $3300

My Hanse 400 is right on the limit of the displacement recommended for the EV-100 ,
but comes with a balanced rudder.
As such the loads on the wheel are virtually non existant - 1 finger steering.
So the lighter forces of the EV - 100 will most likely be adequate.

I'm not planning on sailing round the world, mostly river racing and so use the autopilot simply to hold straight during
sail set up when light handed or if something is jammed. I will likely do some coastal cruising with the odd coastal overnight race ie the Geraldton. I'd obviously carry spares for a gruelling race like the Geraldton. But cant afford to carry a spare linear drive, as such the idea of a wheel with such a simple mechanism of a belt driven motor. I could carry 5 belts and 2 motors spare - all likely within my budget.

Anyone got any good or bad experiences with either.

Cheers Craig